Cage of Gold
by NocturnalHunter
Summary: As he was caught by the Western Branch, he was offered am opportunity, he could hardly refuse in this situation. Although he expected to never be accepted by humans as an equal, he was here now , a devil walking amongst humans and his prey. (Contains OCs, plays parallel to the GE storyline and to my other story, Loss of Faith)
1. A new Cage

Grayish brown eyes gazed over the letters on the tattered paper as his pen moved forward, forming sentences to tales which would land, just like many things before, in the dustbin. The young man slowly titled his head to the side and sighed deeply, before he placed his pen carefully at the side of his metal desk, right next to the paper and folded his hands before him.

"Is there something you need of me?"

"Your accent and pronunciation is still horrible." It was the warm and soft voice of a woman. He closed his eyes, but didn't turn around to greet his visitor face to face. He wasn't in the mood or rather, he didn't see the need to show her the courtesy. She always visited once in a while or maybe even two times a day. He didn't know. There was no window or clock to help his already wrecked sense of time.

"You only gave me a couple of months to learn a language that is completely new to me and I hadn't had the time to practice my skills on other people..." He smirked. "Or should I rather say, I didn't have the opportunity?" She was the only visitor. The guards didn't talk. They just ignored or didn't understand him. In the end, either way was fine, since he wasn't keen on conduct a conversation with people who he didn't deem as...informative.

This woman, slightly younger then himself, with shoulder long raven hair, was the only one who did continue to pester him, although he had tried to send her away. She didn't pick his interest and hopefully never will, or God may have mercy on her soul.

"You know that I wasn't the one who put you in this cage." The man chuckled and ran his hand through his brown hair. "No, but you gave me the opportunity to jump right into another.", he answered amused. The cage to hold him needed to be invented first. He just decided to stay, observing the situation and carefully looking up his options.

"Don't get me wrong.", the man continued. "I should consider myself lucky to be saved by one of your Units or else...I maybe would have died in..." He paused, moving his fingers. "About a week, I would say. Either by Aragami, starvation or thirst. Doesn't matter, really..."

He heard her move, her heels clicking against the pavement in a steady rhythm. "Saved you?" Her voice carried a surprised tone. "I recall that I read something about you _saving_ one of the Unit from being devoured." "Which, in the end, only brought me to be captured like a mere criminal."

"You were hurt." Such a goodhearted girl, even trying to defend those people with such a weak argument. "So, this is not a cell? But let's look at the bright side. I get food, have a roof over my head and I have even a bed. That is what I call luxury..." To puncture his statement, he stretched his arms and stifled a yawn.

"Tell me, why are you here this time? I have the feeling you didn't come to just chat with me." "...Did...you consider my offer?" This time he finally turned to her, leaning back on his chair and smiling gently at his visitor. He had to admit that it was tempting him to just say yes, since it was the best offer her would get in this kind of situation.

His silence and mustering eyes seemed to irritated her, making her nervous as she looked at him, fist clenching after a moment. She tried to put up a facade of professionalism in front of him, yet she had still so much to learn. He should thank god for her naivety, or else she wouldn't invite a wolf into a den of sheep without questioning him about his past or motives, not that he would answer it anyway. "J-Just for you to know...If you accept, there is no turning back, but..."

He shot her a smile and said in a sweet, playful tone. "Don't worry. There is not a thing to turn back to for me." The man slowly stood up, looking down to her. Even in his mangled form, he gained from days without food, she still seemed to be intimidated by him. "Are you sure that you want to help a person you don't know?" "I-It..." She cleared her throat and smiled. "It would be a waste of your abilities and you saved another human even when it meant almost certain death for you. You can't be that bad."

_You have no idea, little human._

Something flickered in his eyes as a pleased smile moved over his features as he playfully sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "...It is as you people say, it seems. No good deed goes unpunished... With that, my answer is yes."


	2. Among Humans

A little...light-hearted short introduction...little crack...Urgh, I don't know how to describe this sort of humor. Everyone is free to ask questions about characters in this and my other story, by the way.

Please, enjoy.

* * *

Their meeting was a week ago. Seven days of being passed around from person to person, room to room until they finally confirmed that he was, indeed, capable to join their petty little army. His gaze moved over the huge hall, watching those people chatting vividly with each other and moving to one place to another, disappearing only for more people to emerge out of the deeps of this place.

"Hey."

He didn't stir.

"Hey, are you deaf?"

This time he shifted his head to three people who stood before his seat. Judging by their appearance and the bracelet on their wrists, they were supposedly his...comrades in arms. One in front of him crossed his arms before his chest and an ill-omened smirk crossed his features.

"This is our place where you are sitting at."

There was a haughty tone in his voice. Gray brown eyes narrowed for a second, but decided that this little fish wasn't worth his time and so, he just continued to ignore him.

"Maybe he doesn't understand our language."

He tried not to smile or gave any indication that he had heard him as he started to talk slow and loud and underlined each of his words with overly expressive gestures. Even when this kid was uninteresting, it was quite entertaining to see him trying to mock him for seemingly not "understanding his language" and demonstrate to his two minions how stupid he must be for not accomplishing that feat. He closed his eyes, suppressing the temptation to simply tell him the truth. This kid should dig his grave a little deeper first.

And, more importantly, entertain him a little more. He almost forgot that not all humans were incredibly uptight to the point of being just stiff and boring even when teased. It seemed, some people didn't even need his active "assistance" to provoke them into doing something so stupid and that was a phenomenon which he hadn't seen in years. This world or the world he had known before, just killed those kind of humans too fast, much to his dismay and loss of entertainment.

Unfortunately someone decided to interrupt this amusing display. "That is enough. Be nice to our newbie, Alex." Another young man, around eighteen years and with light brown hair approached them. He smiled. The expression in his green-brown eyes was so open, clear and downright trusting as if he had looked into the eyes of a puppy. A naive humanoid puppy. "He has just finished his tests. And..." "Then you should fucking teach him how to speak our language.", the other kid growled.

The newcomer lifted one of his eyebrows. "He doesn't...I thought...well..." The man in question just decided staying quiet, curious what this man would do. When one was stupid enough to actually believe that he can't understand a word although it had to be quite evident that he can, considering that he had to answer tests which were definitely not in Japanese.

"I know a little bit Japanese." This situation just took a turn to the better, yet a little turn to the worse at the same time. On the one hand, he couldn't believe that to people fell for the same simple hoax, on the other...the mess of...he couldn't even describe or identify what this guy was trying to say finally earned them a chuckled out of him.

"Please stop...whatever you are talking about or my ears are going to bleed." Everyone blinked. "What the hell?! You can understand us?" The one - Alex as he remembered correctly - exclaimed enraged. "Of course." "Are you kidding me? You just..." "Well, you never actually _asked_ if I understand you and I considered your...mimics as highly entertaining, so I didn't dare to interrupt you. It gave me an interesting insight at your...mental capabilities." Seemingly surprised at these words Alex was silent for a second and scratched his hand and mumbled a confused "Thank you." which made his smile only grew wider.

_Ah...an interesting insight, indeed._

"And to your...ability of speaking Japanese..." He looked at him and the other young man offered his name with a warm smile. "Just call me Claus." "Well then, Claus. Just...**don't**." Claus laughed nervously. "That bad?" "I couldn't really decipher what you said, but I think it was a mix between a death threat and really bad joke about my parents." The young man flinched a little bit. "Ah! I'm really sorry about that...Uh...what's your name?"

"Hiro." Klaus blinked, saying nothing at first which caused the other one frowning a little bit confused. Did this name sound so strange? Or did it have a laughable meaning in this language? He didn't consider this when he picked it. "So...you are not just a newcomer but also the new one in my team.", the young man beamed, before he opened his arms and smacked one hand into the face of Alex who was standing behind him in the process and who then started to curse colorfully while holding his bleeding nose.

And he continued to stand there in this position, making Hiro slowly raising an eyebrow.

"May I ask what you are doing?" "A welcome-to-the-team hug." The older one opened his mouth slowly and closed it without making a sound. This Claus had to be joking or this had to be some kind of inside joke he wasn't introduced to yet. Before he could even point out the ridiculousness of this gesture, someone took the courtesy of throwing a pin board at his head, making him tumble to the side.

"What fucking kind of a Leader are you?! We were waiting for you at the briefing room for a goddamn hour!" Another boy with blond hair and around Klaus' age, albeit a bit shorter than both of them, stormed to them. "You better have a good goddamn reason for not showing up or else..." This new...dare to say...Leader used the opportunity and hug the newcomer whose head was then squeezed between chest and arms, muffling his protest. "Cool down, Nero." Claus petted his head and messed with his hair while the boy's language turned even more colorful and his attempts to get out even more desperate

"L-Leader! You are suffocating him!" A tiny woman with curled brown hair approached the two and tried her very best to separate them and to his surprise, even managed to do so. As soon as the boy was out of his grip, he gasped for air and then got a hold of the necktie of Claus, pulling him down to him. "Are you fucking insane, you hug-loving freak? You could have killed me!" "Ah come on, it was just a little cold down hug, Nero." "My name _is __**not**_ _Nero_!"

Meanwhile Hiro just rubbed the bridge of his nose in small circles. Another wish in his life that may have backfired completely. He asked for entertainment and he got it. For the price of his brain cells which suddenly seemed tempted to commit suicide. He had known that this offer had a little hitch somewhere, but this wasn't something he expected. "Fate...has an amusing idea of purgatory and torture." He mumbled under his breath in his native language and accidentally shifted the focus of this...Unit or whatever they may be, onto him.

"Sorry, I totally forgot about you. Guys, that is Chiro, our new New Type God Eater." Claus seemed to practically ignore the fact that the little one tried to strangle him with his necktie and Alex who was still cursing in the background. Hiro sighed, deciding to simply play along. "My name is Hiro, not Chiro.", he corrected him, only to earn a snort from "Nero". "Better get used to it, he isn't good with names." "I would have never guessed..." The man stood up.

"So then..._Leader_, any missions?" "Yeah before that..." Hiro's smile turned cold as his Leader seemed to go for second attempt in hugging him. "If you try, I promise you that the only thing you will hug is the ground." Claus crossed his arms before his chest. "Hey, respect your superior." "And you should respect your elders." "Elders? How old are you?" "If I remember exactly... twenty four." "Wow...You are one damn old..:" Hiro chuckled. "Finish that sentence, Nero or whatever your name is, and you will certainly regret it."

"Yeah? Like I would be scared of such a scarecrow like you." "Tempt the Devil and you might get him, kid." "Who are you calling kid?!" Just to annoy him further, Hiro switched the language, knowing fully well he wouldn't understand a thing. "What temper...Teasing you will be such fun." "What the hell did you say about me?!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing much. Should we get going now? I have nothing against a little walk outside." Claus started to laugh. "A little walk? Are you sure that you are already ready for some Aragami slaying? I mean, you can take it slow, you know?" An eyebrow rose slowly on Hiro's face. "Why? Where my test results that unsatisfactory?" "No, no, not at all! But... Well, the Director told me that you were hospitalized for a very long time, so..." The man just looked at him and titled his head. It was true that his wounds had been taking care of, but they weren't that severe to bind him to a bed. Then a smirk flickered shortly over his features.

_That sly little vixen._

"It was really nothing to be worried about." He paused, considered this possibility given to him by his new superior, he didn't even consider. He was a blank sheet and he could be as creative as he liked in building a story around himself. "The only thing that remains are a few holes in my memory. Such things like what actually happened or why I landed here..." "So, you are an amnesiac?" "A mild case, I would say." "...That almost sounds like a joke. An amnesiac, a pyromaniac and a..." "Who is a pyromaniac, you hug loving freak?"

"N-Nero! Stop strangling our Leader! He is turning blue already!" "Just let me get over with it, Hannah! I have put up with his stupidity long enough!"

Hiro just stood here, watching how the struggle unfolded in front of him and shaking his head with a deep sigh. "...Humans..." Then a giggle attracted his attention and looked at the woman who was responsible for this misery. He returned her smile.

_Just wait, vixen. I will get my revenge for this..._

* * *

I promise the next chapters will be longer as soon the plot really starts to roll. Just a reminder: Don't be fooled by the...(Can I even dare to describe this as such)...comedy. It may be getting really dark later on.


	3. Playing Roles

So...chapter two of Cage of Gold. Not many words to say, just enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Many names littered the page before him, yet just one caught his attention now.

_Hiro_

He looked at it, studied the letters before a deep sigh tore through his throat. His fingertips flipped through the empty pages still left in that tattered book in his hand. On the last side, there were words craved into the leather cover.

_We are alone. We are one. We are sin. We are salvation._

An old contract, signed long ago by so many people. Humans he knew, humans who had died, fellow kin he had worked with and yet he was sitting here now, alone. His eyes focused over one name which was placed under the phrase in particular.

_Belphegor_

The only one of them from whom he knew for certain that she was gone. Shot in the head. The bullet just had missed himself by a hair's breadth. Maybe this bullet was even meant for him, meant to end his life once and for all, but it was Belph who had died that day.

His finger trailed over the scar on his cheek which had grown faint over the last few days, caught up in the memory of this one day, trying to remember more details, maybe a hint that he had missed before. Was he the last one? Were there more? Where were they now? It would be troublesome for those humans if he didn't find them quickly. He smirked.

_So many questions...so little information..._

Suddenly a sound forced him back to reality and he turned around in his seat, seeing how his new Leader stood in the door with a gentle smile on his features. "Ah there you are!" Hiro sighed. And there he thought the lock would be sufficient to keep this annoyance at bay. Still, he returned the smile although it lacked the warmth of the other.

"Do you need my assistance?" "What? No, just looking what you are doing. I mean, you are practically locking yourself away after the missions." Hiro eyed the door before his gaze wandered back to him. "I guess that isn't a option anymore." His superior laughed nervously and scratched his head. "D-don't worry I will pay for the damage..." He paused as he saw the book in the other one's hand. "What were you reading?"

The older man sighed, placing it on the desk and stood up. "If you are so curious...It's my diary." "Your diary?" "Yeah...I think." Claus stuffed his hands into his pocket and repeated his words again while frowning. "You think?" "I had it with me as the rescue team found my tattered body. So I think it belongs to me." "And do you remember something?" In that moment he wanted to laugh.

_**Everything.**_

"It's like reading a book of some man I don't know." He was still the amnesiac. The man who had no idea who he was and what was going on around him. "Then are you really sure it is yours?"

Hiro flipped through the pages and showing him a picture of Hiro himself. He looked younger, without the scars in his face, eyes halfway closed and a sly smirk across his face. There was a reddish brown fingerprint on the bottom of the paper, looking like dried in blood.

"Wow, that's pretty good..." Claus commented as his glance switched between the picture and Hiro which shrugged his shoulders. "Even if it isn't mine, it has something to do with me." "So you have been wracking your brain over your past the whole time?" The older man didn't answer nor did he deny. The whole thing of him being amnesic was a lie which was more or less forced onto him, yet he had been mauling over the past although driven by other reasons.

Claus sighed deeply and petted comrade's shoulder slightly. "Look...I really don't know how this feels like...Not knowing who you are that is, but you are a new man now. Just make new memories and let the past go." The older man almost bit the inside of his cheek to prevent of just telling this human to get lost and leave him be. Knowing his new leader, this would only encourage him to pester him more and then an _accident_ could happen.

_It would be definitely annoying to clean the carpet...And get rid of the corpse._

He was a patient man. He tolerated those humans as good as he could and tried to adapt, but it was exhausting for his body and his mind when those people indirectly seemed to ask him to be killed. Not that they already did a good job by themselves when they rush into the fray of Aragami without even _thinking_ that this could possibly end fatal. There never had been a strategy or remotely a plan when they go on missions. Just kill-on-sight.

He was surprised that the kill count of rookies in this team wasn't any higher. Then again, he was informed that this team was relatively new. Hiro sighed. "Maybe I have a family, maybe I have someone...anyone in this world. Wouldn't it be cruel for them if I just forgot them and didn't even try to remember?" He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I have got the feeling that when you ignore the past, things could get...troublesome."

"You really think so?" "I don't expect you to understand me. After all, you are quite lucky..." "What?" Hiro smirked. "Coming from a relatively wealthy family with parents, an older brother, a younger sister...Why did you become a God Eater of all things when you had so many other possibilities?" There was no spite in his words, just honest curiosity.

But even then he could see in Claus' face that he slightly grazed a subject which he didn't like at all. The minor flinch in his features was enough for him to tell, although he tried to cover it up with a fake laugh. "The reason is not very complicated. Helping people, you know. Simple as that." Yet these words spoke truth.

And this truth, sickened Hiro to the very bone. His smile twitched slightly. "Is that so?"

He then cleared my throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into your personal affairs...I just went through the files and..." "No! No need to apologize for that. I mean...It's perfectly understandable. You don't know anybody here and I guess...we aren't the most normal people in here, so..." Claus made a pause, eyeing the book in his hands. "By the way, do you want to come eat breakfast with us?" "Just give me a moment." "Sure. And..." "No, I'm not going to hug you." "Awww, come on." "No."

* * *

The meal with the group was lively and loud. Hiro did his best to ignore the commotion and eat his meal which was essentially a small mountain of different fruits he had yet to try while he watched Nero trying to strangle and kill his Leader again. Hannah, the only female of the group, sat beside him, sighed deeply while playing with the food on her plate. She never ate much and was the most quiet out of them.

He nibbled on the apple in his hand, relishing the fresh sweet and slightly sour taste. "They don't seem to like each other much.", he noted, making the girl flinch. "I-It's just a phase." "I don't know about you but I don't really thing strangulating people can be called _a phase_." In his mind he imagined other people of his past in the same situation and began to chuckle amused. "_Definitely_ not."

"T-That is not what I meant...It is more...a love-hate relationship?" "So, they are...what do you call it? A couple?" Hannah's face grew deep red and suddenly both males stopped with...whatever they were doing. "We are _**not a**_ _**couple**_!", both shouted in union, making him laugh. "Well, at least you have at least an agreement on that. Although such things go always hand in hand with denial." "What are you implying, old man?!" "Call me an old man again and you might regret it." "Oh yeah?!"

Hiro's half opened eyes gazed at him and his smirk turned devilish in every sense of the word. "Go ahead and try." "Wow, calm down you two." "I'm perfectly calm, Leader. You should have your little hotblooded kid more under control." "P-Please, don't fight." They looked at the girl who had begun to shiver and tear up which caught Nero completely off guard. He became nervous "W-we are not fighting!"

The other man just sighed, petted her head lightly. "If we were really fighting, I doubt he would be still standing. I'm just teasing him." "Yeah, you heard him..." Nero paused. "Wait..." Hiro chuckled. "It amusing how slow you people are sometimes. But if you really have the need to beat me up to prove a point...We have a training room for this." His smirk grew. "Just ask. I always like a sparring partner."

How he always twisted a "fight" into a seemingly friendly offer. To tell the truth, this offer was more beneficial for him, since he started to feel a certain unrest. Being held in a cage for weeks and now again, bound by people who were convinced that he had to take it easy. Little did they know that he was a hunter, a beast by nature. A thing he had to hide now, yet could not deny.

And it was scratching its claws against the surface of his mind, eager to hunt, to kill. He looked at those people, talking to each other while he stayed quiet and continued to eat.

_Who would have guessed? This quietness makes me restless..._

His hand wandered to his covered throat, rubbing it slightly. "Hey, Hiro..." He felt something poke his side and he turned his gaze to the girl. "A-are you alright?" "I'm fine. Just a little lost in thought." It was irritating to be worried about by complete strangers to him. Yes, he played the poor amnesiac who just was recovering, but still that it would work so _perfectly_ was irritating. He couldn't really sense distrust directed towards him.

_This is almost __**too**__ easy._

After he finished his lunch, he stood up and wanted to walk back to his room, but Claus halted him. "If you need anything, you can always talk to me, alright?" Hiro's eyes narrowed as he looked at him, but he smiled. "Don't forget to pay the broken lock." In the background Nero let out a deep sigh. "_Don't_ tell me you run around, breaking into rooms again, Claus."

"R-really, I can explain!" The oldest man just snickered. At least it wouldn't get too boring.

* * *

Just one hour later, Hiro found himself in the office of the director again. It was almost a daily occurrence that the woman called for him and he didn't see a reason to deny the order. He straightened his posture, looking down at the young woman and waited for her finish the file she was working on. As she set down her pen on the next file, he spoke. "You called for me?"

Her body froze at the sound of this voice and her head shot up. There was a moment of silence as she blinked a few times in an irritated manner, before she pulled down her glasses and sighed. "...It's just you..." One of his thin eyebrows rose at this statement yet he decided not to question it and let her continue. "Why didn't you knock?"

"Oh, I did. In fact, I waited ten minutes outside...waiting for your response." She looked at him, searching for a sign that he was lying, but gave up just a few seconds later. "Then I apologize. I didn't hear you." A chuckle rumbled through the man's chest. "I guess as much, dear Director." He paused. "So what did you call me for?" "Just checking if you are doing good." "You mean...with my new comrades?" His slender fingers traced over the back of his neck, rubbing the stiff muscles in small circles and letting out a deep sigh.

"...To sum up my impression in one word, I would say...exhausting." Amused that woman smiled, leaning back on her seat. "That bad?" "They rush in without considering the situation. No offense, but I have seen death seeker and suicidal persons in battles who were clearly more subtle in their doing than them. That said, I'm fairly surprised that these...people...still are alive and didn't die on their first mission."

"Says the newcomer." "I might be a newcomer to this line of work, but I seem to have one skill which they lack." "That would be?" "Common sense, Director." The woman started to laugh. "Common sense? We found you in the middle of Aragami infested land and you fought one of those on your own. _Without_ a God Arc." Hiro's smile widened."I did well, didn't I? Besides...I said that I have common sense, but not that I'm completely sane by normal standards."

He paused, crossing his arms before his chest. "Just to make my point clear. I don't really care when they die." That blunt statement made her blink. "Nor will I do anything to prevent it if it threatens my own survival." "My, you really hate it if you are shoved into a team." "In fact, no. I just grew tired of saving humans who try to commit suicide. If they want to die, then I will let them." "Even if it is your own team?"

"Dear Mrs. Claire, didn't I tell you that you should be more careful when you hire people you know nothing about? I'm not really a friend of humans. Yes, I'm under my leader's and your command, but that doesn't changes the way I'm thinking." "Then I simply order you to protect them."

The smirk on his features grew until he started to laugh. "Oh, how _absolutely_ cruel you are to me..." He didn't even try to hide the mocking tone in his words.

_And how unbelievable green you are behind your ears..._

"But fine. I already thought it would be an annoyance if somebody died, but that is the job of the Leader, isn't it?" "Claus is still new in his position and I thought...you would - with your abilities - support him finding his place." "You gave the position to a kid who barely knows a thing in this world? To be a leader is not a thing you can give to people. They are made." "He has talent and I'm positive that he can manage..."

"And what do I get out of this?" Her smile grew. She was pleased that he considered the offer. "You told me about a mercenary group...and other people who got in their grasp. What if I tell you that I have information about those other people?" Now she was speaking his language. A deal and one he could hardly deny at that.

"Hmmm...Interesting. But I will warn you, I can't do miracles nor will I take responsibility of what might happen. Being a leader isn't easy." "I can't really ask for more." "Then we have a deal, I guess. Although I'm more than curious why you try to force him into this position." She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued with a shrug.

"Oh well, it wouldn't be fun if you just tell me. Just keep your promise. And I will keep the deal." Suddenly this annoying person of a Leader had picked his interest a little more than he should have.

* * *

A truely lying bastard...But now time for useless information:

Although he isn't picky when it comes to eating, Hiro favors fruits over normal meals. And he eats. A lot. (If he is in a bad mood, just give him an apple. Then he might not kill you. Maybe)

He always keeps a tiny diary or book with him and writes things down if he has time. He wasn't the only one who used it.

Until next time,

NocturnalHunter


	4. Dancing Shadow

And...again a chapter to Mammon's story. Less action, more character-study. Boring, I know. xD But I promise that things are going down sooner than someone might expect and it won't be pretty.

On with the chapter...

* * *

Hiro set alone on the bench in the main hall, looking at nothing in particular and simply lost himself in his thoughts for once, far away from the room in which a certain someone broke in at a regular basis. At this time of the night, he was probably the only one awake, but just to make sure nobody busted into his little world again, he decided to switch his place. He never had a rhythm in his sleeping circles, nor was his sense of time clearly working again. He simply slept when he felt the need to, not because the clock or the daytime dictated him to take a break.

Yet this wasn't the only reason. There was an even more irritating one why he couldn't find any rest at this time of night. He closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings. It was quiet. Maybe the occasional rattle of the pipes in this buildings here and there, but this absent of life was irritating and made him nervous. Where was the darkness where his kin crawled and lurked through the shadows? The sounds of moving people, trying to be quiet, the footsteps echoing against pavement and mud? The growls of worse things to come?

He looked at his hand which was placed on the metal before him and he smirked faintly. Just in a few days, his body and instincts would get used to this too, just like welding this huge weapon in battle and be face to face with those creatures which had been the only thing he had feared and dreaded. Now they were just like any other animal. Big? Yes. Aggressive? Definitely and deadly, but not "un-killable" anymore.

"...Lady Fate is interesting in her ways.", he muttered to himself before he looked at the file laying next to his hand. Ever since he got it, he had studied the data it held, soaking up every tiny detail in those lines and memorized them. It was more than he hoped and yet it wasn't nearly enough for him to get the whole picture of the situation in which he was now in.

And this thought alone irked him more than anything else.

This was a world, he still knew very little about. The costumes, the manner of gestures and body language, little details which he observed and tried to mimic and understand. Some things he knew, others leave him a little bit confused like the first time shaking hands with someone as a form of greeting. He was used to a nod or a kind of salutation some of his kin used regularly. Neither of them involved skin contact and that for a _very_ good reason.

In that moment numerous ideas and dozen possibilities had sprouted in his mind about how he could use that simple gesture to take advantage of a person like pulling that person close and stabbing him or her a couple of times. He rubbed his eyes with a chuckle. Old habits really died hard, and even more so when some humans indirectly asked for it.

Like his precious little Leader. Nero was a kid with a hair-trigger temper, but he was very responsible in terms of duty, Claus on the other hand...Hiro didn't really know if he was just so absentminded or if it was plain stupidity or maybe even both. His memory wasn't the best, he neglected his duties when it came to unpleasant paperwork, even shoving it off on Nero, he missed meetings, overslept, broke into other rooms, seemingly was having trouble with money and was always somehow incredibly irresponsible.

Somehow Hiro slowly suspected that the contract he had with this vixen was not directly helping him to become a good Leader, but preventing his hand from "accidently" slipping and his gunfire riddling his beloved Leader with bullet holes. On the other hand, he shouldn't care less what this human did, annoying as he was.

He couldn't deny that Claus had at least a few traits he could work on like being a honest, unquestionably nice, strong and sometimes even charismatic person, maybe even material to become a heroic figure, but those traits came hand in hand with the biggest problem he had.

He was simply _too_ kind.

If he was - as well - too naive, Hiro couldn't decide right now. Of course, he was still baffled about his habit to try to hug every person he saw as greeting or...just because he could. Even Hiro himself who had backstabbed more people in his life than there were people in this building and didn't even bother to completely conceal the fact that he was a dangerous person to be around with. Either it was a sign of utter kindness to show even a devil such a treatment or utter stupidity. Or both. When it came to such people, he couldn't really decide.

Hiro opened his eyes. "...Maybe I really died and my soul is currently in the real purgatory...or hell.", he muttered to himself. Out of all people in this rotten world, _he_ had to show a kind, nice and maybe stupid person what it takes to be a Leader. Somehow he got the feeling that his superior wouldn't be glad about the results. Not in the _slightest_.

But he was bound to the rules and it wouldn't be the first time he did such a thing. "People should be more careful what they wish for..." His eyes traced over the line of words, mind drifting off more than once. Then he heard a soft chiming. His head shot up. At first it believed that it was some memory that played a trick on him in this unfamiliar darkness.

But it repeated.

Hiro stiffened. Chimes. Slowly he stood up and a smirk crossed his features. Now that was something he was familiar with, what he had experienced before, although his rational mind knew that it wasn't the same. Sometimes...she wore chimes, the only thing indicating that something else was there than just shadows. How those simple, soft sounds made the enemy tremble and scream. He stifled a laughter. How nostalgic and utterly impossible this thought was. She wasn't here. Nobody of them was here.

He sighed and smiled. "...And now I'm getting irrational. What a hell this is..." But this already had picked his interest too much to be simply ignored. Quickly he collected the files on the desk and continued to move towards the sound. He hardly turned around the corner as something lunched at him. At first, out of instinct, he wanted shifted into a fighting stance, but his defense dropped in an instant as he heard the next word spoken to him.

"Mommy!"

He couldn't swallow a irritated "what" as a girl opened her arms and hugged him. His mouth opened and closed, unable to speak for a moment and looking down at her. Somehow she looked familiar. "Hannah found mommy..." His frown deepened. Until now he thought, the only girl in the team was one of the stable ones, but wasn't the problem right now. It was the girl snuggling her face into his chest and mistaking him for a woman. Even after his impressive and screwed up career, this was a first.

Then he heard other steps drawing near and it was the person he wanted to see at least in this situation. "...Finally...I'm really sorry that...Wait. Is that you, Chihiro?" The older male stifled a growl and sighed annoyed. "My name is Hiro.", he corrected his Leader again. "And this isn't what it looks like." "Well, well...you just let somebody hug you when that somebody is a cute girl." "Absolutely.", he replied with so much sarcasm he could muster in his voice. "A girl, by the way, who has started to drool on my shirt." "...Hehehe...Hide and seek is fun..."

Claus chuckled. "Ah...I knew I forgot to mention that Hannah has sleepwalking habits." "She is sleepwalking?" "Yeah, but I took precautions." He gently rolled up her sleeves. "See? I bound these little bells to her wrists, just in case she goes off again. And I check every night if she still is in her bed and not walking around in the middle of the night." "You could simply lock the door."

"Well..." Claus massaged his neck. "It isn't that easy..." "You broke her door, didn't you." That wasn't even a question but a statement. "...That..._could_ be. But she can open doors in her sleep...so..." Hiro sighed and suppressed his urge to roll his eyes. "What a troublesome team you have there." "Yeah...At least I have someone sane to rely on this time around." The older one just closed his eyes, smiling and trying not to remember all this instances and things that he could hold against this statement or bursting out into laughter.

"Should we bring her back?" Claus smiled and helped untangle her from his body, before he took threw her over his shoulder. Hiro chuckled. "She is a heavy sleeper, isn't she?" "Heavy? Yeah, you could set off a bomb right next to her and she wouldn't even register it." He turned his head to him. "Why were you awake at this hour?" "Thinking." "About what?" He smirked. "Various things.

"I'm the Leader, you know. You can tell me if something is bothering you." "It isn't exactly something bothering me...I was just thinking about taking some time off." Claus stopped in his tracks, looking at him surprised. "Is something wrong?" "Ah nothing actually...just wanting to meet someone I know." His leader started to walk again. "Someone of your past?" "Yeah, but don't worry, I'm not about to jump right into the next helicopter and leave you alone. I still... didn't make a decision on that matter."

Go or stay. He didn't know in what state they were in, nor what happened if they saw him or how the humans would react to that. The feeling of not being able to reach out for them in this very moment, to contact and just speak to them, to something he knew gave him a certain kind of longing for attention.

People may speak of him what they wanted, hate him, despise him but at least they knew him. Now he was just a stranger in the crowd. A man who played the part of an amnesiac not knowing where he belonged when in reality he knew exactly that this wasn't the world he belonged to, but was rather forced to live in.

But then again, he was used to build things from scratch and couldn't deny the challenge.

"Are you afraid that that person will tell you something that you don't want to know?" "Not exactly. Let's say, she harbors a slight feeling of...hatred against me." Interested Claus' left eyebrow slowly wandered up. "Is she your ex-girlfriend or something like that?" This time, the older male just had to laugh at this assumption. "No, we just share a rough past...And I can't remember if we reconciled..."

"Hey, better late than never. Maybe she will be glad to see you still alive and kickin'." Hiro just smiled at this optimistic display. He doubted she would be happy nor even really angry or expressed any feeling at seeing him. His kin was not known for being emotional, if they could feel anything at all.

Hiro held the door to Hannah's room open and signed him to go inside with the girl. Carefully his Leader dropped her onto the bed and sighed heavily, stretching his back. "God...she gets heavier." Hiro eyed him for a moment, observing him and his movements. Although he was not really suitable for a leader now, he did care for his subordinates, learning the quirks and acted according to them. It was a start, but not nearly enough to work on. He had a contract to keep after all and every friendly banter beside, he would do what had to be done.

And the earlier he began with his "training" the better.

As they walked out, Hiro searched his gaze, a smirk still plastered on his face. "Leader...may I ask you a question?" "Uh...yeah? What is it?" "Why did you become a leader?" Irritated, he blinked. "What?" "Why are you a leader?", Hiro repeated. "Like I can see, this isn't an easy job. Not with those kinds of subordinates..." With that, an intensive angry glare was directed to him, much to his amusement. "Hey, don't speak about them in that tone. They are good, talented and nice people and even better God Eaters."

"Trust me. I know that, Leader. Excuse my dismissive wording." He chuckled. "...You don't have to answer my question yet. I want you to think carefully about it." Suddenly Claus' expression changed from his usual soft and good natured in a more...stern one. "I don't think there is a reason for being one." "Oh?" It was an answer he didn't expect. Not from this person.

His smile widened. "I see... I apologize for my curiosity." In his mind he already noted that he would demand more information about him from that woman and carefully planning ahead of how to deal with him. His eyes glowed faintly. Maybe this could be more interesting than just another nuisance he had to deal with. "...I'm looking forward to work with you." He muttered under his breath.

Maybe his leader wasn't so stupid after all. He remembered back to their conversation just a day before. The mention of his family, his "normal" life made this young man squirm. There was no guarantee that he would succeed, nor did he really care. He said he would try, nobody said he had to actually make him a true leader. Some people succeed, some don't. Even the most talent people could break in a blink of an eye or in an unlucky situation. There was never a guarantee for things to go smooth and right.

A short grimace moved over his face and an uncomfortable feeling moved over his skin, sneaking over his neck. He unconsciously touched his covered throat. It itched so terribly. "H-hey, Hiro?" The voice startled him. "Are you...alright?" "Ah, just remembered something." He smiled. "As you said, memories aren't always pleasant." "Maybe you shouldn't go to that person. It won't do you any good."

He chuckled, barely stifling a laugh. "Our brave, heroic leader who charges into battle tells me that I should run away?" Hiro shook his head, grinning from one ear to the other. "How can I run away from something that is me? It's like running away from your shadow. It will be always there, it will always follow me, if I remember it or don't." Claus had again this strange look in his eyes, so he continued, feeding this strange emotion his leader displayed, beckoning it to stay a little bit longer.

"I would rather know my shadow than dying without even acknowledging that I have one."

He smiled softly, interlacing his hands behind his back, stepping closer to him. "Whatever your shadow is, dear Leader, I would advise you to look at it once in a while. Sometimes they bite." The young man chuckled. "I'm not really scared of the dark. So, try something else to give me the creeps, Hiro. I'm not a little kid." His movements were nervous and on edge although his face showed no sign of it.

Bemused the older one chuckled, then putting up a facade of fake innocence, shrugging his shoulders. "At least, I can try." "You have a strange sense of humor." "The kid told me that already the other day...Hmmm...Suddenly it makes sense that I can't remember a single person laughing at my jokes. Ah, well, can't be a perfect person, can I?"

He made a mocking bow, before he turned around. "Have a good night."

Hiro could hardly contain another chuckle. After all that happened in the past weeks he actually _had_ forgotten something. Not his past, nor his kin, but one simple fact.

Those people were still human with all their faults and facets.

His heart skipped a beat as he walked down the hallway. Even when this wasn't not the place he was used to, behind their facade of naiveté and niceness, they were still all they same, hiding their despicable shadows beneath that glimmer in their eyes.

And he couldn't wait to dance with them.

* * *

It's funny how similar and completely different Lucifer and Mammon are, in behavior, motives and god knows what. He is some sort the one who does things and says just because it amuses him. (Somehow reminds me of a big child...A big creepy child.) Other character interpretation...eh...I leave it open for now. (due to story reasons)

Before I forget, you can ask any question about any character or anything anytime you want. I don't bite and am open for suggestions.

Until next time.


End file.
